Parmesan Cheese Bread

Why I Love This Recipe

This recipe is adapted from www.Williams-Sanoma.com. It was amazing. It takes so few ingredients and it so easy to make.

I made 3 slight modifactions. They are noted in italics within the recipe directions.

Make this bread for a party, serving it while still warm and breaking off individual rolls at the table. If necessary, you can reheat it in a 300°F oven.

Use freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, preferably imported, for the best flavor. And you will achieve better results in bread making if you buy one of the professional-quality active dry yeasts, such as Engedura from Holland or SAF from France. You can also make the dough by hand: Stir together the ingredients in a bowl and then knead the dough on a lightly floured board until smooth and elastic, about 15 minutes.

Directions

In the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer, combine the 3 3/4 cups flour, the yeast and salt. Add the warm water and stir with a wooden spoon until just mixed together. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the cheese over the dough. Fit the mixer with the dough hook and begin mixing and kneading on very low speed. When the mixture pulls away from the sides of the bowl, increase the mixer speed to medium-low and continue to knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, 12 to 15 minutes, adding more flour if the dough is too sticky. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and knead by hand for 1 to 2 minutes.

Form the dough into a ball, brush it with a little olive oil and return it to the bowl. Cover with a towel and let rest in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 425°F. (I did not preheat the oven at this time because the bread still has to rise for 30-40 more minutes. Instead I preheated it when there was 10 minutes left in rise time).

Brush a 9-inch round pan with olive oil.

Place the remaining 1/4 cup cheese on a plate (I added some garlic powder and some Penzey's pasta sprinkle to the cheese mixture to give the topping a bit more flavor).

Punch down the dough. Return it to the floured work surface and knead a few times. Then, using your palms, roll the dough to form a log about 12 inches long. Cut the log in half crosswise, then cut each half crosswise into 6 equal pieces. Knead each dough piece a couple of times, roll it between the palms of your hands into a ball, and then roll it in the cheese to coat lightly and evenly, shaking off any excess.

As each ball is coated, place it in the prepared pan, resting it against the rim and pressing down slightly to form a 2-inch disk. Arrange 9 balls around the rim and 3 balls in the center. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise again in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 30 to 40 minutes.

Sprinkle the top with the cheese remaining on the plate. Using a razor blade or sharp knife, cut a slash 1/4 inch deep in the top of each ball.

Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F and continue baking until brown and crusty, 20 to 30 minutes more (Mine only baked for 17 minutes until I took it out).

Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the rolls rest in the pan for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove them from the pan; the rolls will come out in a single loaf.

Serve the loaf warm, breaking off the rolls at the table. Or let cool, top side up, on the rack.